HortiTrends Weekly Comment and News Digest - April 19th

For anyone who has time on their hands then the Spring Lecture by Walter Jansen is a good time to spend it. Not only will it be an interesting event but I am always amazed at the amount of horticulture shakers and movers who are in attendence. They have a wealth of knowledge and more importantly good contacts that they can put to work for your business. We are currently putting together a mentor panel of experts in various areas that businesses will be able to avail of. More on that soon.

Enda Shows His Sweetest Side for Tully Nurseries 'Bella Bloom' is a great example of good PR work. The ongoing campaign has created a real buzz. We observed and engaged with a throng of 'The Orchard' customers around the plant. They like it and were very interested to know that the breeding was going on in their own backyard of County Dublin. We also directed them to our new site www.GardenGuide.ie which is a portal for gardening and growing related news and information in Ireland and the UK. Tully Nurseries are already making good use of it. When the potential plant buyers at The Orchard learned (always working hard for our advertisers) that the plant is not available everywhere, it caused a bit of panic buying. Supply and demand when managed well will give this range of plants a longer lifespan on the horticulture red carpet. The consumer media also like a good story and this one can run and run. The breeding game is time consuming and expensive but when you get it right, very financially rewarding too.

International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements – 23rd to 25th April is happening next week in Dublin. It will bring in the cream of that sector and is a great opportunity to reinforce the reputation of Ireland as a producer of good food on a sustainable basis versus some of the alternatives being offered via Foodharvest 2020. More opportunities to promote ourselves will be the 2014 gatherings of both the International Associations for Garden Centres and Floral Arrangers both happening in Ireland. Other important events happening in May are the Tree Pest & Disease Workshop along with the Teagasc Protected Crops Conference.

Read HTA Says All to Play for Once Spring Eventually Arrives if you want to put figures on the blindingly obvious which is 'Sales are Down'. Other than that put the blinkers on and when that customer walks through the door, only have eyes for them and Sell, Sell. Sell! We will have an article on that subject next week written by home grown talent and retail consultant Liam Kelly.

Just to prove that the enterprise of horticulture continues apace regardless of the weather Dublin's First Indoor Garden Waste Facility Opens in Coolock shows that opportunities still exist and can get investment.

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